Woman recounts fox attack on teen: Animal later found to be rabid also attacked boy's stepmother

By Andrea Bulfinch

abulfinch@fosters.com

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Click image to enlarge

This fox, which was later found to be rabid, attacked a teen boy in Dover recently.
Courtesy photo

DOVER — After witnessing what she described as a vicious attack on a 14-year-old boy, one Back River Road resident is hoping to never encounter a rabid fox on her property again.

Tammy Crossman, who owns a day care facility on that road, described for Foster's Daily Democrat the incident that occurred Feb. 28 and that left a lasting impression in her mind.

“It was horrible. I t was a nightmare,” she said.

At about 4:15 p.m. that Thursday, a gray or silver fox, a little bit bigger than the more common red fox, crept onto Crossman's property and viciously attacked a 14-year-old boy who accompanied his stepmother to pick up his stepsister from day care there, she said.

Crossman said the boy tried to punch the fox and defend himself against it, but it wasn't until his stepmother came over and started kicking the animal that it finally backed off.

The boy was brought into the facility and a cold compress was applied to his leg, where the fox had penetrated the skin, before he was transported to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

After it attacked the boy, the fox then attacked the stepmother, which was about the time police arrived, Crossman said.

Not giving up, the fox continued its attack, taking its rampage to the front door of the day care.

No children were injured or witnessed the attack, Crossman said.

“We kept them all confined in one room,” she said. “The kids never saw the fox.”

Police kept parents waiting to pick up their children

Officials from the state Fish and Department were called in addition to Dover police and, fire and rescue departments, and ultimately, the fox was shot.

The officer who came to wrangle and catch the fox in a looped animal control pole, was also attacked.

The animal was sent to Concord for testing, and Crossman said she received a call the next day confirming that the fox was rabid.

Crossman said police came to check the property afterward to also make sure there was no den anywhere nearby.

“It was unbelievable,” Crossman said.

Foster's Daily Democrat received a call from the city health inspector on Monday regarding rabid animals in the city and is expecting to have more information from an interview scheduled for this morning.